Electrical plug connection protectors



June 1, 1965 JACOBUS 3,187,293

ELECTRICAL PLUG CQNNECTION PROTECTORS Filed Nov: '20, 1963 llllllllllllm g INVENTOR, LOUIS JACOBUS,

A TTO RNE United States Patent 3,187,293 ELECTRICAL PLUG CONNECTIONPROTECTORS Louis Jacobus, 282 E. 35th St., Brooklyn, N.Y. Filed Nov. 20,1963, Ser. No. 325,088 1 Claim. (Cl. 339-403) The present inventionrelates to electrical connectors commonly known as male plugs comprisedof metal prongs extending from an insulative body which is held in handto push the prongs into and withdraw them from corresponding femaleoutlets. The plug body is hollow with a hole to its exterior throughwhich lead-in wires have their ends entered and connected on bindingposts offered at the inner ends of the prongs; said wires being loose insaid hole.

Although it is intended that such plug shall be separated from theoutlet by grasping the plug body and then pulling it, it is a commontendency for people to get hold of and pull the lead wires instead. Thisof course causes the lead connections within the plug to loosen after awhile of such repeated treatment, the leads become disconnected and manya time a short circuit occurs.

It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide noveland improved attachments which hold the lead wire connections within theplug intact though the disassociation of the plug from the outlet iseffected by a pull on the lead wires.

Heretofore, various attempts have been made to accomplish this, but theyconsisted of male plugs of special construction. 7

Hence, another important object of this invention is to provide noveland improved attachments of the character mentioned, which are easilyapplicable to plugs already in use and connected to lead wires and whichare mountable on such in-use plugs without dismantling the plug or thelead wire connections therein.

A further object of this invention is to provide an electrical male plugwith novel and improved means of the character described and having thementioned attributes, which are cheap to manufacture, easy to mount onplugs which have their lead wires connected thereto without disturbanceof such connections or the necessity of taking the plug apart orchanging its structure in any way and which are eflicient in carryingout the purpose for which they are designed.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosureproceeds.

'For the practice of this invention, a strip is provided with holestructure through its central region so it shall set across the plugsface with the prongs through said hole structure and be located by saidprongs. The said strip then follows the plug body on the oppositeexterior sides thereof and along the emerging region of the lead wireswhere the ends of said strip are secured to said wires so the strip istaut.

For one specific embodiment of this invention I use a pliable stripwhich is coated on one face with a pressuresensitive adhesive, and forconvenience before use, I have a tear-off protective strip on saidcoated surface.

A more detailed description will now be given of the preferred form ofthis invention, for which I shall have reference to the accompanyingdrawing in which similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in all the views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pliable strip having slits or slots toreceive the plugs prongs and one of its faces is coated with apressure-sensitive adhesive and protected with a tear-off strip; thetear-off strip being shown partly disassociated from the adhesive-coatedstrip which is to be mounted on the plug.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a dielectric washer which is many a timeincluded in the plugs concerned with herein.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an electrical male plug to which itslead-in wires are already connected.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of said plug showing the strip having theadhesive coating, partly mounted on said plug and its lead wires.

FIG. 5 is like FIG. 4, showing said adhesive-coated strip fully mountedon said plug and its lead wires so that the connections of the latter tothe binding posts of the plug, are not molested if the plug is takenfrom an outlet by pulling on the lead wires.

In the drawing, the numeral 15 designates generally a male electricalconnection plug comprising a tubular dielectric body 16 from whichextend two prongs 17, 18 having the binding posts 19 and 20 to which areconnected the respective wires 21 and 22 of a duplex cable indicatedgenerally by the numeral 23. The numeral 24 denotes a pliable plasticstrip of suitable length for the purpose herein,,one face of which iscoated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive 25, which coated face isprotected by a paper tear-off strip 26. This composite strip structurehas slits or slots 27, 28 through its mid section, to receive the prongs17, 18 therethrough respectively. After the tear-off strip 26 isremoved, the strip 24 is set onto said prongs 17, 18 with its coatedface against the end rim .16 of the plug body. -If a washer 29 isprovided, it would be in the recess 30 and have the prongs through itsslots 31 respectively and so sa-id strip 24 would be attached to theexposed face of said washer. The extending portions 24', 25' of thestrip 24 are then held taut and pasted onto and along opposite sides ofthe plug body 16 and finally, the distal end portions of said strip 24are tightly wound, first one and then the other, about the cable 23 sothat said mounted strip 24 is taut throughout. Any pull on said cable toremove the plug from an outlet (not shown) would be taken up by saidmounted strip 24 and there would be no stress in said cable 23 from thewindup 32 to the binding posts 19, 20.

For further assurance of stress avoidance in the portion 23 of thelead-in wire from the binding posts to where the strip is secured on thelead-in wire 23, there is some slack in such portion.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applicationswithout departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It isthere intended and desired that the embodiment shown herein shall bedeemed merely illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shallcover all patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had tothe following claim rather than to the specific description herein toindicate the scope of this invention.

I claim:

In combination with an electrical male plug of the type comprising adielectric body member having conductive prongs securely mounted thereonand extending in one direction therefrom and insulated lead-in wireextending in the opposite direction from said body member and connectedto binding posts within said member for the prongs, but other-wise loosein said body member, a connection protector consisting of a dielectricstrip of pliable material coated on one surface thereof with apressuresensitive adhesive, encompassing said body member whereby itsend sections extend along said body member and are bent in towards sa-idlead-in wire; said surface being against said body member and adheredthereto; the distal ends of saidstrip being wound at a first region onand adhered to said lead-in wire exterior and close to said body member;said strip having slots; said prongs being through and fitted insaidslots respectively; there being slack in that portion of the lead-inwire which is between the binding posts and said first region; saidmounted strip being tauttwhereby on holdingvthe bodyamernberstationaryand thereupon pulling said lead-in wire in a direction away from saidbody member at a region further from said member than said first region,that portion of the lead-in wire which is between the binding posts andsaid first region will remain unstressed in tension.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,765,035 6/30,Stubbs 339103 2,136,850 '11/38 Honey 339-l03 2,406,030 8/46 OBrien339103 JOSEPH D. SEERS, Primary Examiner.

